Sunday, November 30, 2014

Fleetwood Mac at the Forum: A band reunited, team spirit intact
by Mikael WoodLA Times

Fleetwood Mac is having a moment.

Decades after its late-1970s commercial peak, the band can still fill arenas around the world with fans eager to relive memories indelibly linked to old hits like “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way.”

Yet Fleetwood Mac’s polished pop-rock has also become a touchstone for younger, hipper acts such as Jenny Lewis and One Direction. In 2011, the television show “Glee” built an episode around the group’s music; the next year it was the subject of a high-profile tribute album.

So it’s not hard to understand Christine McVie’s decision, announced in January, to rejoin the band after retiring in 1998.

She helped create the legend -- shouldn’t she enjoy the glory?

Fleetwood Mac’s tour with McVie, whose presence restores the lineup that made the gazillion-selling “Rumours,” stopped at the Forum for two concerts over the weekend. (It will return for a third on Dec. 6.)

But if the cheers that greeted McVie on Saturday confirmed her reasoning, the singer’s participation also reminded you that, despite its huge success, this is a deeply weird rock group, with three songwriters – McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – whose approaches hardly seem compatible.

Backed by the stalwart rhythm section of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie (to whom she was married until 1977), Christine McVie was warm and trusting in “You Make Loving Fun” and the buoyant “Everywhere.” The cheerful optimism – and the propulsive groove – of “Don’t Stop” inspired thousands in the audience to sing along.

And though “Little Lies” hinted at the romantic deception that famously runs through Fleetwood Mac’s history, the tune’s sweet melody neutralized any sense of real desperation.

Buckingham offered no such protection as he growled the lyrics of “Big Love,” about the cold comfort of material fortune, over harsh finger-picked guitar. He was similarly intense in the stomping “Tusk” and a long, raw rendition of the bluesy “I’m So Afraid.”

“Second Hand News” was catchier but still anxious, its crisp tempo a promise of escape from the turmoil the song describes.

Then there was Nicks, who set aside her bandmates’ realism in favor of imagery rooted in history and mythology: “Rhiannon,” “Sisters of the Moon,” “Seven Wonders,” the last of which, she told the audience, had made it back into Fleetwood Mac’s set list after the song appeared in a recent episode of “American Horror Story.”

That quasi-mystical vibe is a big part of what’s endeared Nicks in particular to a new generation of musicians, including the sisters of L.A.’s Haim, to whom she dedicated “Landslide” on Saturday. (The Haim sisters weren’t the only admirers who turned up to pay their respects: According to a tweet from the Forum, Harry Styles of One Direction took in Friday’s show.)

Twirling in one of her trademark shawls during “Gypsy,” Nicks drew a wildly enthusiastic response from the crowd. And fans seemed untroubled by the adjustments she made to the melody of “Dreams,” a song whose high notes are now presumably out of her reach.

Yet that adulation hasn’t led, as it does with so many stars, to an unquenchable need for more.

Here Nicks appeared happy -- even relieved, perhaps -- to share the spotlight she grew accustomed to filling while McVie was away, and it was that sense of camaraderie that held Fleetwood Mac’s internal contradictions together.

“Once you come back, you can’t leave again,” Nicks recalled telling McVie in a rambling monologue about the reunion. That she meant it was clear when McVie, singing her ballad “Songbird,” closed the show.

In a recent interview with Mojo magazine, Fleetwood Mac drummer and co-namesake Mick Fleetwood admitted the band had been a bit "one-legged" in the 16 years it carried on without keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie. If that was the case, Fleetwood Mac was back on two legs, standing tall at the Forum on Black Friday for what was — according to a photo montage from its '70s heyday proudly displayed in the Forum Club — its 13th appearance at the now remodeled venue.

Given that this was the group's first date back in L.A. with Christine McVie and its history with the building, Friday's show had all the trappings of a special event and Fleetwood Mac didn't disappoint.

Opening with "The Chain," the only song on the band's 1977 blockbuster Rumours written by all five members, Fleetwood Mac at first celebrated its unity before turning the spotlight on the returning McVie, who sang lead on the even bigger Rumours era hit, "You Make Loving Fun."

With all due respect to Fleetwood, we'd argue that Fleetwood Mac was more like a three-legged dog without Christine McVie, with frontwoman Stevie Nicks and frontman and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham holding up the front end while Fleetwood and fellow original member, bassist John McVie, together, supporting part of back. At the Forum, it was clear just how crucial Christine McVie's role is, not only providing keyboards (although the band was supplemented by an additional keyboardist/guitarist and guitarist) and backing vocals for Nicks and Buckingham (the band was also assisted by three female backing vocalists), but providing an earthy lead vocal presence to counter Nicks' sometimes out-three gypsy visions and Buckingham's hyper emotionalism. And, it was that variety that made Friday's show such a joy.

Christine McVie's initial run in the spotlight was followed by Nicks' turn on "Dreams," then Buckingham on "Second Hand News," back to Nicks with "Rhiannon," extended with the singer altering her phrasing from the recorded version, proving this was no mere carbon copy of the record. The Tusk album track "I Know I'm Not Wrong" was a brief interlude from the hit parade before the title track, complete with video of the USC Marching Band performing the song on the video screen, for which Christine McVie added accordion and Buckingham replicated the elephant walk with guitar in tow.

The first third of the show was stacked so heavily with classic hits, it made you wonder if the band could sustain the momentum for the remainder of the gig, but that proved not to be a problem, as it used different configurations and vocalists to keep it interesting.

And the hits kept coming, as well, including McVie's "Say That You Love Me," the band's first-ever top 40 hit after the veteran British blues band was revitalized with the addition of Nicks and Buckingham. After Nicks sang "Seven Wonders," she gave a shout out to American Horror Story, which last season featured her in a cameo and the song, prompting the band to add it to the set.

Emotional highlights were natural to Buckingham and Nicks sharing the stage, Buckingham offering a startling acoustic reading of "Big Love," after noting how the song's meaning has changed over the years and then Nicks dedicating the ballad "Landslide" to "her fairy goddaughters" before the Forum's roof sparkled as she sang.

Nicks also took the spotlight in "Gypsy" and "Gold Dust Woman." The former was proceeded by a story about her early years in the Bay Area and remaining true to your dreams, while the latter had her donning a gold shawl and offering a freeform dance as she teetered on her high heels while the band provided a psychedelic interlude.

Towards the end of the set, the monster hit "Go Your Own Way" came off as a celebratory jam, with Nicks and Buckingham facing the drum kit and Fleetwood responding with a devilish grin.

During the encore, "World Turning" was punctuated with the hoariest of all arena-rock clichés — the drum solo. Yet Fleetwood made it tolerable by turning it into a call-and-response exercise with the audience, spouting gibberish and sporting wacky facial expressions between mercilessly pounding his kit.

"Don't Stop" had all three main voices joining in unison and also seemed to be a theme for the two-and-half hour show and this 2014 tour. After Nicks took it down with "Silver Springs" and Buckingham (on piano) accompanied McVie on "Songbird," Nicks returned to offer the story of Christine McVie's return to the band. Then Fleetwood returned with his two young daughters in tow to once again thank the crowd and return the love. It was almost as if they didn't want to stop.

Once upon a time our bands graduated to the arenas where the basketball teams played, now we’ve got our OWN PLACE!

That’s right, music lives at the Forum. And if you’ve never been, get in your automobile and make a pilgrimage to where there’s no scoreboard, no sports paraphernalia, only music. Where you can partake of the elixir that once was.

That’s right.

There may be screens, but this is positively a pre-MTV experience. Back when it was all about the music.

And it was all about the music last night.

It brought tears to my eyes. A hole has been filled. As Mick Fleetwood indicated, the circle is now complete. With Christine McVie back in the band the ship is righted, the Lindsey/Stevie show has a counterweight, and the balance is such that your baby boomer heart will thump and you’ll remember what once was and hopefully will yet be.

Listen to the wind blow

Watch the sun rise

Opening cut side two. We all bought the second album of this configuration of the band without being implored to do so but because we had to, the same way a kid today lines up for an iPhone.

That’s right, we’re sitting in the darkened arena and the band is singing about an unbreakable chain with Christine doing harmonies for the first time in sixteen years and Mick pounds the skins and John holds down the bass and Lindsey picks the notes and Stevie emphatically sings and you just cannot believe that this is happening. It’s not quite the Beatles coming together, but it’s close.

It was like hell freezing over and the Eagles reuniting but at a point in time where you could see the end in sight.

With only 6 shows reported so far to Billboard's Boxscore it's clear that the On With The Show Tour will be massive when all is said and done in terms of overall gross ticket sales and attendance. Fleetwood Mac will surely land in the top 10 grossing tours of the latter half of 2014.

If you calculate the 29 shows they've performed so far by the average gross they've been achieving so far, except bringing it down to 1.6 million average per show to factor in the smaller grosses in the smaller cities they've been to, this puts the tour at between 40-50 million so far. The full 40 dates in 2014 at the same average gives you about 65 million. Huge numbers!

In order to see Fleetwood Mac at The Forum on Friday night, I had to give up my New Year’s Eve so that someone else would cover my shift on short notice at my full-time job. After seeing them play nearly three hours on the first of two nights at The Forum, I can say that I made the right choice and that I have zero regrets.

This was the first time since the original lineup played in Los Angeles together in years. Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass), Stevie Nicks (vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (lead guitar), and — for the first time since 1998, Christine McVie on the keyboards. They had some help by a talented group of backup musicians, but this was who everyone came to see and they didn’t fail to deliver.

Playing more than two dozen of their greatest hits, it was when McVie’s vocals kicked off “You Make Loving Fun” in the second song of the night that the reunion show felt fully on as the crowd rose to their feet and gave a mini-standing ovation. Throughout the night, the other members of the band commemorated what it meant to them to have the talented singer-songwriter back with the group, and it was clear it meant just as much to the packed house in Inglewood.

Everyone brought their A-games, and Nicks and McVie especially sounded just as good as ever. Though Buckingham’s voice seemed a tad bit withered — perhaps from being the member of the band who maintained the highest level of activity over the past four decades — his guitar-prowess was not hindered one bit. Almost every song showcased Buckingham’s ability to deliver a spine-tingling solo, something he still does as good as anyone in the business. Buckingham’s charisma on stage was met in full force by the rest of the band, quite a feat when you consider Fleetwood Mac has existed for about half a century.

“Our ‘Songbird’ has returned,” happily proclaimed Fleetwood Mac drummer and co-founder Mick Fleetwood last night, the first of the Hall of Fame-inducted band’s three dates at the Forum, as he introduced Christine McVie. The keyboardist/vocalist had left Fleetwood Mac 16 years ago but decided to rejoin the group who launched this On with the Show tour in celebration.

Everyone in the packed arena shared their enthusiasm over McVie’s return. Those on the floor stood the entire time, beginning with the first three songs (“The Chain,” “You Make Loving Fun” and “Dreams”) that were all off the band’s 1977 hit album, Rumours. McVie admitted that since the Fleetwood Mac was once based in Los Angeles, she really loves it here and was happy to be back before transitioning into “Everywhere.”

While McVie’s musicianship and vocals shone on that song, as well as “Say You Love Me” and “Little Lies,” all of the other members were showcased as well. Lindsey Buckingham showed that the years haven’t affected his smooth vocals or guitar prowess, although he jokingly feigned stiff fingers before “Big Love.” He mesmerized with his finger picking on “Never Going Back Again,” delivered a searing solo during “I’m So Afraid” and led the entire audience in sing-alongs of “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop.”

And there are really no words adequate enough to express the magic of Stevie Nicks. Her performances were memorable each time she stepped to the mic to sing or tell a story and danced around the stage. From the beautifully haunting “Rhiannon,” “Gypsy” and “Sisters of the Moon” to “Seven Wonders” (after which she gave a shout out to “American Horror Story” for giving the song new life), “Gold Dust Woman” (when she draped herself in a shimmering gold shawl) and the legendary “Landslide,” dedicated to her three goddaughters and featuring little white lights set in the ceiling to resemble twinkling stars.

Bassist John McVie proved he is the backbone of every song, while Fleetwood matched his beats with thunder from his drum kit during “Tusk,” featuring video footage of USC’s Trojan Marching Band. Fleetwood also delivered a heart-pumping solo in “World Turning,” the first song of the encore section of the evening, eliciting crowd participation by repeatedly saying, “Don’t be shy now!”

Leave it to Stevie Nicks, ever the mystical muse of Fleetwood Mac, to let us in on the secret – some combination of cosmic vibes, love and magic, and a simple cell phone call – that made the legendary band whole again some 16 years after singer and keyboard player Christine McVie retired from touring.

Yes, McVie picked up the phone and called Nicks in October 2013 to ask if she could come back to the band that had soldiered on with four-fifths of its classic lineup of Nicks, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood. And of course Nicks told her she was welcome whenever and for always.

But that was just the product of deeper machinations in the universe, Nicks said at the close of the band’s sold-out show at the Forum on Friday, the first of four Southern California dates that includes a stop at Honda Center in Anaheim on Sunday, Dec. 7.
“I think that last year at some point in October there was there was some magical thing that went out from all our fans saying, ‘It’s time for Christine to come back,’ ” Nicks said. “We are so thrilled that we got our girl back – you have magical powers.”

Above Photos by: Daniel Knighton

That the feeling was mutual – all that love and magic, natch – was clear from the start of Fleetwood Mac’s two-and-a-half hour show and a set that in its 24 songs included many written and sung by McVie that fans here hadn’t heard since a 1997 tour that included three nights at the then-Irvine Meadows and one at the Hollywood Bowl.

Though this On With The Show tour has run for 20-some shows so far the opening number, “The Chain,” seemed a little rough at the start, the harmonies of Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie not quite meshing as smoothly as they should. All felt better though by the opening keyboard bit of the next song, “You Make Loving Fun,” a Christine McVie number that drew tremendous cheers as the crowd welcomed her back into the fold.

This is a band whose fights and fractures were legendary during the height of their fame. Nicks and Buckingham and the McVies each were couples, and then were not. Drug addictions and interband rivalries caused rifts even as Fleetwood Mac made some of the best albums of the era, from the self-titled “White Album” to “Rumours” and “Tusk.”

That they survived all that then is a minor miracle; that they perform as well as they do when they’re all between the ages of 65 to 71 years old must be an even sweeter success.
The show largely unfolded with the three singers taking turns on the songs they wrote and sang lead on. Early in the set that found Nicks singing “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” the latter of which found her all a-twirl in her gauzy black shawl, bowing deeply to acknowledge the cheers at the end.

Buckingham’s “Second Hand News” and “Tusk” put a spotlight on his high-energy vocals and still-dazzling guitar work, but throughout the night it was the McVie spotlights such as “Everywhere” and “Say You Love Me” that felt just a bit more special given her absence on stage for so many years.

Given how well-known these songs all are you’d be forgiven for thinking there’d be few moments of genuine surprise or deeper emotional connection, but throughout the night many of these older tunes felt fresh in the context of the gang getting back together again.
This was the case even when it was only Buckingham on stage by himself, singing “Big Love” and talking about how the feelings of alienation he felt with the band when he wrote it have faded to meditation now, or later when Nicks joined him for a beautiful take on the always lovely “Landslide.”

Nicks was her usual endearingly hippy-dippy self, at one point giving a shout-out to the TV series “American Horror Story” for featuring the song “Seven Wonders” earlier this year and thus getting it back into their set. She later told a long and rambling anecdote about her earliest days as a singer in San Francisco pre-Fleetwood Mac and how a visit to the lady rock star clothing store later inspired the song “Gypsy.”

Highlights in the final stretch of the main set included McVie’s “Little Lies,” a take on “Gold Dust Woman” that from the ominous guitar line and cowbell opening through Nicks’ gold-shawl-twirling performance was perhaps the tour de force of the show. They closed with “Go Your Own Way” with Buckingham taking the lead vocals but both Nicks and McVie joining in as it built to the finish.

The encore opened with “World Turning,” which featured Fleetwood on an old-fashioned drawn-out drum solo that you didn’t really mind given how animated and happy he seemed, then “Don’t Stop,” which had most of the Forum singing along.

After one more break, McVie returned alone to a piano at center stage, singing “Songbird,” the nickname Fleetwood gave her during the band introductions, alone for a moment, then joined by Buckingham on guitar. A fitting final spotlight for the prodigal daughter now back in the fold.

Fleetwood Mac were sitting around stoned in the studio one night with one of their engineers when they set about solving an arithmetic problem that had been niggling at them.

How much cocaine, they wondered, had drummer Mick Fleetwood put up his nose? Working on the premise he had taken an eighth of an ounce every day for 20 years, the sound engineer calculated that if you laid out the drug in a single snortable line, it would stretch for 11km.

This full article originally appeared in The Daily Mail (UK) November 7, 2014. Visit The Daily Mail to read the article on-line

Article appears in today's "The Advertiser SA WEEKEND Magazine"

(Australia) November 29-30, 2014

Micks new book "Play On, Now, Then and Fleetwood Mac is available everywhere.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Stevie Nicks has spoken about how Christine McVie's return to Fleetwood Mac has reignited the band's "feminine" side.

Stevie Nicks Takes A Trip Down Memory Lane

Stevie Nicks is thankful Fleetwood Mac is no longer a "boys' club".

The 66-year-old music icon released her eighth solo studio album in October, amid her band's grand On with the Show world tour. And she has described what it's like to have former bandmate Christine McVie back on the team.

"It's not the boys' club anymore," she explained to Access Hollywood. "Now Christine and Stevie are back to being their very 'force of nature' selves."

Stevie also spoke about what it was like when Christine quit the band back in 1998, after being with them for 30 years. With the gender balance very male heavy, things apparently lost their feminine touch.

"We're in touch with our feminine selves again. Without her it became very masculine," she said.

Fleetwood Mac is known not only for their trail of smash hits over their active years, but also their drama. Stevie famously dated their guitarist Lindsey Buckingham for numerous years.

Their relationship was notoriously reflected in their 1977 album Rumours. Stevie says although it's all in the past, she hasn't forgotten how it felt.

"It doesn't still hurt but it's still reality. It's still real," she told the outlet.

Stevie's latest solo album is called 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault. According to her, it's filled with tracks that never quite made the final cut of her previous albums.

"These are the golden songs," she smiled. "These are the songs that should have gone on many different records from 1975 up, and didn't for many reasons."

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Fleetwood Mac perform live in Los Angeles at The Forum this Friday and Saturday night. While the band is in town, the Morrison Gallery located in the lobby of The Sunset Marquis Hotel, will be displaying the Stevie Nicks Self Portraits that were recently on exhibit in New York City during the month of October. The exhibit won't be up for long... You can only view the portraits from Friday, November 28, 2014 until Tuesday, December 2, 2014. The gallery is located in West Hollywood at 1200 Alta Loma Road. The hours of operation are: 10:00 - 8:00pm (Mon - Wed) 10:00 - 11:00pm (Thu-Sat) 11:00-7:00 (Sun). So go check it out if you are in the area.
The Sunset Marquis Hotel Lobby
1200 Alta Loma Road
West Hollywood, CA 90069To order prints on-line - visit the Morrison Gallery website. Clicking each thumbnail reveals pricing.

When you’re the one ending a long-term relationship it’s important to your sanity to keep it in your head that you’re not a bastard. Even if there’s something undeniably bastard-like about what you’re doing. You attempt to be as nice and as reasonable as you can, magnanimous even. You don’t argue about money, about the house, about who gets to keep the robot vacuum. But deep in the psyche of the non-bastard the threat of your bastardliness remains: you have to have something to hold onto.

Christine McVie's long-awaited return to Fleetwood Mac, following a 16-year absence, paid huge dividends during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act's sold-out concert on Tuesday at the SAP Center in San Jose.

It allowed the band to fully recall its commercial and artistic peak of the '70s, when the voices of McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham combined to make Fleetwood Mac one of the world's biggest bands.

Sure, Nicks has typically received the lioness' share of attention, with Buckingham hogging much of what was left over. Yet, anyone who doubts the importance of McVie's musical contributions, both on vocals and keyboards, probably didn't catch the band's three previous road shows -- all of which were solid, but not nearly as fulfilling as what Bay Area fans witnessed with the current On with the Show Tour.

Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to the fold, this is definitely the right time to see Fleetwood Mac. Locals will have another shot when the Mac -- Nicks, Buckingham, Christine McVie, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie -- perform Dec. 3 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Show time is 8 p.m. and tickets are $49.50-$199.50, www.ticketmaster.com.

The tour -- the band's first with Christine McVie since 1997's The Dance trek -- is all about the hits. Fans get to hear most of the band's best-known songs, minus the pre-Nicks/Buckingham material of the late '60s and early '70s, during a mostly well-paced set that stretches over 2 ½ hours.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Wow! Major overhaul!!... Stevie Nicks official website has now been fleshed out with a bunch of new additions including a News section, Discography, Forum, Media and Tour Dates section. Looks beautiful... Check it out at Stevienicksofficial.com The Nicksfix is still up and running as well.

It was interesting that Mick Fleetwood waited until the completion of Fleetwood Mac’s brilliant, Tacoma Dome performance to proclaim, “The Mac was back!” It was as if Fleetwood was spiking a metaphorical football in the end zone after scoring a game winning touch down. He let the legendary group’s music and highly energized performance do the talking first.

Longtime fans know that the band was formed in 1967 by Peter Green and the group’s lone original member Mick Fleetwood, later to be joined by then husband and wife, John and Christine McVie. But it wasn’t until when the singer and songwriting duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined that group that Fleetwood Mac went from just the critics darlings, to critic darlings and mega-hit makers.

The house lights went down and the subtle sound of Mick Fleetwood’s chimes came up through the speakers and the band launched into the haunting and romantic angst ridden “The Chain.” Juxtaposed by the band’s second number “You Make Loving Fun” sung by the prodigal sister, McVie, the endless stream of hits just kept on coming one after another over the course of the next couple hours.

Fleetwood Mac was in vintage form. Stevie Nicks one of a kind vocal delivery coupled with Buckingham’s heart felt free-fingered guitar styling, brought greater energy and intensity to the bands overall sound. Of course McVie and Fleetwood, (who may be one of rock’s best rhythm sections next to the likes of Cream’s Ginger Baker / Jack Bruce and Led Zeppelins’ John Bonham / John Paul Jones), provided a solid foundation for the band who was also backed by an additional guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist and 3 piece vocal section.

Nicks, wearing her trademark black flowing dress, effortlessly glided across the stage and commanded attention with her bewitching style while performing “Rhiannon” and “Gold Dust Woman.” Buckingham poured every ounce of his soul into each solo like a man possessed on tracks like “Big Love.”

Fleetwood Mac played without an asterisk Monday during a sold-out show at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena.

The superstar band offered all its hits and all its lead singers, with Christine McVie having returned to the road after a 16-year absence.

McVie was elegant and unassuming Monday, just as she was during the band's "Rumours" heyday. Chic in black jeans and a leather jacket, the 71-year-old singer/keyboard player seemed happy to be back, whether she was in the spotlight or assuming a utility role by playing accordion on "Tusk," the still-wild-and-weird title single from Fleetwood Mac's 1979 album.

McVie was not so unassuming that you did not notice, when the band kicked into the McVie-led "You Make Loving Fun" as its second song of the night, that an intact Mac beats the four-fifths crew that toured in her absence.

The band's 1970s and '80s success lay in its musical diversity. In how it made room for McVie's graceful melodies, Stevie Nicks' airy poetry and Lindsey Buckingham's more coiled, intense songwriting, then joined those styles in a signature sound cemented by three-part harmonies.

But those shows never felt like complete Mac. Not like the Mac that killed it Monday night on the band's McVie-led 1987 hit "Little Lies." A harmony bonanza, the song sounds edgier live than on record.

No one looked happier to see McVie than Buckingham, the band's creative engine and biggest champion. McVie's return, Buckingham said, marked a new period for the band that appeared likely to be "poetic" and "prolific."

For a 65-year-old to be mapping out a rock 'n' roll future with a 71-year-old (and with Nicks, 66, Mick Fleetwood, 67, and bassist John McVie, who turns 69 Wednesday) is inspiring. It also speaks to why the group endures, 37 years after "Rumours" and its surrounding excess and romantic strife. It's through Buckingham's sheer will.

Christine McVie's road rustiness showed at times Monday, especially during the ballad "Songbird," during which she clearly had trouble hitting notes. But even at these moments, the band was better with her than without her. The notes might not all still be there, but the reassuring, husky quality of her voice is.

McVie seemed shy as she thanked her bandmates and fans for their support. Nicks was not shy at any point. Not when turning "Gold Dust Woman" into a welcome bit of performance art involving a sparkly shawl, or when regaling the audience with a story from her days as a Bay Area rock baby.

She was in a band with Buckingham that once opened for acts such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. After Nicks discovered all the famous San Francisco rock women shopped at a boutique called Velvet Underground (which Nicks name checks in "Gypsy"), she visited the store.

She couldn't afford anything in it, Nicks told the crowd. But she had an epiphany while there, that one day she would be famous and play for big crowds. It happened, Nicks said, gesturing toward the 15,000 people watching her in Sleep Train Arena.

You gotta love Nicks for barely bothering with the "humble" part of humble bragging. But why bother with humility? Nicks has been an icon for decades.

"Icon" gets used too often. But add up Nicks' one-of-a-kind, nasal-yet-pleasant singing voice, shawls, scarves, all-summer-long boots and the creation, last year, of an "American Horror Story: Coven" witch character who worshipped the singer, and there it is: icon.

Now that you know to whom the term legitimately can be applied, don't go calling Taylor Swift an icon.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Sitting in a suite at the top of one of the fanciest hotels in Manhattan, Stevie Nicks plays with a diamond-encrusted silver moon necklace. The charm was given to her by the father of a young woman named Sara, who Nicks met through the Make-A-Wish foundation in 2005. Sara died in 2008 of a rare type of cancer and Nicks dedicated her 2011 album “In Your Dreams” to her. “I need to wear this because it’s the 32 diamonds of the 32 shows she came to,” Nicks said, pressing her fingertips to the moon. “If you flip it, it’s a gold moon. It’s whatever you want it to be.”

It had been a month since Nicks released her most recent album, “24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault,” comprised of unrecorded songs written between 1969 and 1995. “To me, these songs are the pieces of jewelry you put away in your special jewelry box and save and will someday give to your daughters,” she said, “or your fairy goddaughters or your nieces or the people you love that you will leave your jewelry to.”

At 66, Nicks is in the midst of some of the busiest years of her life. In the last 42 months, she released “In Your Dreams” and a documentary about its creation, toured endlessly with Fleetwood Mac, welcomed keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie back to the band, appeared on both NBC’s “The Voice” and FX’s “American Horror Story: Coven,” debuted “24 Karat Gold” and opened a well-received exhibit of Polaroid self-portraits at the Morrison Hotel Gallery. With just a few days to spare in between show dates, Nicks came to New York to promote the record. She booked an appearance on "The Tonight Show," a “Today” show spot and multiple interviews.

“I don’t want this record to die,” she said, leaning back in a massive armchair draped in a bath towel to calm her dust allergy. “These old hotels,” she said before arranging herself. The sun had set hours ago, but ombre sunglasses sat low on her nose. “When I made this record I didn’t know it was going to be what I consider one of the best record I’ve ever made. I was just doing it to fulfill an obligation to my record company.”

“This is supposed to represent raven feathers, and this is supposed to look like jagged, irregular, shiny, sparkly, sleek, raven feathers and tail,” said Crickets Meyeres, pointing out the details of an elaborately crafted, handmade shawl.

The beautiful black piece, which graces a mannequin in her Kanab, Utah home, is actually a replication of the original shawl she knitted for Stevie Nicks.

Last September, Meyeres learned of a competition hosted by talenthouse.com, which called upon it’s regular readers and visitors to submit designs for a “show-stopping” shawl for Nicks.

Meyeres couldn’t resist the chance at dressing the rock icon. Soon, a design was flowing from her mind through her fingertips.

“I was absolutely obsessed, and when I was finished I was both excited and terrified about winning, but I didn’t think it would,” she said.

Meyeres says her design was inspired by the ravens that live year-round in the harsh red rock wilderness near her home.

“They are ever-present” she said, “just like Stevie”.

“I wanted to give her something back of me, not just ‘OK this is Stevie Nicks’ style, I’m going to make something her style and regurgitate it to her’. I wanted to give her a gift from Utah,” she said.

Meyeres’ Native American ancestry also played a part in the design, showing up in a subtle tribal pattern amongst the more than 3,000 stitches which make up the shawl.

In a brief statement announcing the winner of the talenthouse.com contest, Nicks noted the tribal element as a primary reason she chose Meyeres as the winner, awarding her a $2,000 prize.

The contest rules stated Nicks would provide the winner with a single photo of herself wearing the shawl, for the designer’s portfolio, and then return it. But it now appears she’s taken a shine to the piece custom-created for her 5’1″ frame.

Meyere explains, “I sent a note along saying Stevie could keep this if she wanted. She did like it. Her representatives asked if she could keep it, but I didn’t know she was going to wear it on stage every night during her concert tour with Fleetwood Mac. She wears it during the song ‘Rhiannon’ which is a huge classic hit. She spreads it out like ravens wings and I feel like she understands the same things I understand about the raven.”

Growing up, I hated Fleetwood Mac. Maybe part of the problem was I usually lumped them in with the Eagles, a band that is truly terrible, or with my general distaste for classic rock dinosaurs, borne from a childhood spent listening to Phil Collins and Sting greatest hit tapes on every single family roadtrip. Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Hole hit right when I got my first Discman, and soon after, my older next-door neighbor was giving me Radiohead and Built to Spill albums. Fleetwood Mac weren’t just uncool: They were the bloated, overwrought excess of everything a young indie-rock fan and Spin subscriber stood against. But then in college, a close friend lent me a copy of Tusk, saying it was their White Album and also the one where the band’s drug use was a little too intense. I grew older, went through a few breakups, and grew to truly love my former enemies.

Fleetwood Mac have been touring a lot the past few years (including an appearance at the Moda Center just last year), but the big news here is the return of Christine McVie after a 16-year absence. Though billed as the “On with the Show” tour, there was nothing resigned about the performance Saturday night, except the few moments when the New Age-y visuals recalled a Cialis commercial. Snark aside, this really was a wonderful show. The whole band seemed genuinely stoked to have McVie back in the fold, as most of the pre-song banter featured Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham or even Mick Fleetwood gushing about being able to play with her again. Fleetwood Mac has played most of these songs hundreds of times but they were still loose and nimble onstage, occasionally stretching out a song but never indulging in that classic rock trope of just jamming forever, man.

The hits from Rumours—”Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Gold Dust Woman”—naturally got the biggest responses, and the band smiled its way through through every moment. They were augmented by three backup singers and two sidemen on guitar and keyboards, but the mix was always light, centering on Nicks’ husky voice, Buckingham’s exciting guitar playing and the subtle backbone of the rhythm section, which just kept on beating amidst a sea of 20,000 people singing along to every single word.

But for me, the real pleasure was when the band dived deeper into their back catalogue, dusting off gems like “Tusk” and Tango in the Night’s “Little Lies” and “Big Love,” which Buckingham performed solo while showing off his incredible fingerpicked guitar playing. I nearly died when he played “I Know I’m Not Wrong,” my favorite song off Tusk and easily the most amusing song of the night visually, with his dismembered floating head projected on the screen behind the band mouthing the words through a sea of colorful clouds. Buckingham really is an amazing performer—at 65 years old, rocking skinny jeans and a tight black v-neck, he seems much younger than most of his contemporaries. Though not usually recognized as a guitar hero, his solos were revelatory, never overshadowing the song but pushing each hit to new heights.

During the encore, I realized this might be the first show I’ve ever seen without an opening band. I mean, who could realistically open for Fleetwood Mac? When Mick launched into a call-and-response drum solo during “World Turning,” I initially wanted to hate on the showmanship, but I actually found it rather endearing, just like when he came out front to play a smaller kit during a nice late set stretch of songs that included “Over My Head.” Sure, it was a little cheesy. But sometimes, we have to know when we are wrong, and just embrace the kitsch.

Rock legends Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood jammed together as if no time had passed during their jaunt to Tacoma, Washington on November 20, 2014.

Nicks had an unusually intimate moment with the nearly sold-out crowd before belting out one of her most recognizable tunes. The 66-year-old shared that prior to her 40-year career with Fleetwood Mac she dreamed of going into the rock n’ roll clothing paradise known as the Velvet Underground and purchasing her “rock n’roll clothes.” When Fleetwood Mac took off, she returned to the place she loved.

“So I’m back, to the velvet underground…back to the floor that I love. To a room with some lace and paper flowers,” Nicks playfully recalled. Then she sped off into the song as only she could.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

After a 16-year absence, singer and pianist Christine McVie returned to the stage, performing with Fleetwood Mac at the Moda Center in Portland, Nov. 22, 2014. McVie, 71, stepped away from the limelight over a decade ago, but she didn't seem to have lost a beat.

McVie joined band mates Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham for the band's On With The Show Tour. They opened the show with classic Fleetwood Mac songs, "Chain", "You Make Loving Fun" and "Dreams" which were met with an ecstatic response from the audience.

That was pretty much the vibe at Fleetwood Mac's concert at the Moda Center on Saturday night; five senior citizens touring again for the first time in 16 years, playing their hits like time stopped and it was 1979 again, with more hugs and without all the cocaine. McVie's decision to return created a pocket of warmth on the left side of the stage and energized her bandmates, who couldn't stop talking about how happy it made them to play with "our beautiful Christine," as Lindsey Buckingham called her. Here's a review in the form of an annotated setlist, 20 songs deep:

Friday, November 21, 2014

BENEFITING: THE FOUNDATION FOR THE CENTER FOR HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE INC

THE STORY:

PROMOTION: Donate $10 and you'll be entered to Win a pair of concert tickets to Fleetwood Mac’s concert in San Diego on December 2, 2014 ("Giving Tuesday") and join Pretty Little Liars’ star Torrey DeVitto to meet Stevie Nicks after the show. Package includes a one night stay at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego in a lux Hard Rock Suite with VIP check-in and $200 dining credit for Nobu. (Estimated Value: $5000) Every $10 you donate will get you an additional entry into the sweepstakes.

The Road to Hope fund provides ongoing support for orphaned children who were the caregivers for one or both of their dying parents. The most frequent diagnosis was HIV/AIDS or cancer. These children are a reminder of the plight of child palliative caregivers in Uganda, a country where the life expectancy is 54 and the median age is 15.

What an absolutely incredible show tonight at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma WA. You can’t get a better show than with Fleetwood Mac. They are (in my opinion) one of the best sounding and performing bands today and probably that I have ever seen live. Their music is as rich, bright and relevant as the day it was new. It is hard to believe that they have been around since 1967. You could’t tell by their performance or by their youthfulness up on the stage that they have been around that long. They have so much energy and an obvious love for what they are doing, and with the entire band back together again, I believe they are back in their nirvana.

“Our songbird has returned,” drummer Mick Fleetwood proclaimed gleefully in a nearly three-hour show packed with such classic songs as “Dreams,” “Second Hand News,” “Sisters of the Moon,” “Rhiannon,” “Gold Dust” and “Go Your Own Way.”

Indeed, McVie’s spotlight performance of “Songbird,” with accompaniment by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, was the soaring finale in a triumphant show celebrating her return. Despite her many years off the road, McVie, 71, sounded as though she had never left.

She was clearly an inspiration to her fellow bandmates, who treated the show like a family reunion. The crowd cheered as she sang, “This feeling follows me wherever I go,” from “You Make Loving Fun,” bringing back memories of the band’s heyday for an audience dominated by exuberant baby boomers.

“Welcome back, Chris,” said singer Stevie Nicks, who joined McVie on songs they had not sung together in more than a decade.

Rounding out the veteran rock band were longtime bassist John McVie, as well as three background singers and an additional guitarist and keyboardist.

The show featured dreamy, sometimes eye-popping videos and neon-colored lighting. Musically, there were many special moments.

Buckingham reprised his vigorous, guitar-driven song, “Big Love,” explaining that its focus had changed over the years to reflect his changing view of the world and greater maturity. The ominous-sounding “Tusk” featured Christine McVie on accordion, though her playing was somewhat lost in the mix of instruments.

Explaining that “Landslide” was one of her father’s favorite songs, Nicks dedicated the haunting tune to several women in the audience and dedicated “Gypsy” to young people who choose to believe in themselves and follow a dream.

During “World Turning,” the opening song of a first encore, Fleetwood offered an explosive drum solo.

Before leaving the stage, Fleetwood delivered an impassioned message to fans, thanking them for years of support, urging them to take care of one another and promising many more shows to come.

FLEETWOOD MAC NEWS ON FACEBOOK

In April, 2013 New York Times Author Anthony Bozza began working with legendary drummer Mick Fleetwood on his life story, which will span the entire history of the band that bears his name.

In this candid, intimate portrait of a life lived in music, Mick Fleetwood sheds new light on well-known points in his history, including many incredible moments of recording and touring with Fleetwood Mac, as well as personal insights from a man who has been a major player in blues and rock 'n' roll since his teens.

The group Fleetwood Mac has sold over 140 million records worldwide, and they continue to attract a huge following, selling out their biggest arena tour ever in 2013, decades after their debut. Finally, the group's admirers will have a unique portrait of what made Mick and the rest of the group tick in the midst of their massive success and personal trials.

“Most of these songs were written between 1969 and 1987. One was written in 1994 and one in 1995. I included them because they seemed to belong to this special group. Each song is a lifetime. Each song has a soul. Each song has a purpose. Each song is a love story… They represent my life behind the scenes, the secrets, the broken hearts, the broken hearted and the survivors. These songs are the memories - the 24 karat gold rings in the blue box. These songs are for you,” commented Nicks.

Order '24 Karat Gold - Songs From The Vault

FLEETWOOD MAC 'TANGO IN THE NIGHT'

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(RELEASED MARCH 31, 2017)

Featuring the hits “Little Lies,” “Everywhere,” “Seven Wonders” and “Big Love,” this 30th anniversary collection is available in Deluxe- 1LP/3CD/1DVD, Expanded - 2CD, 1CD Remaster and Digital Download and on all streaming services.

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Christine was a guest on the Ken Bruce radio program on BBC Radio 2 and was featured each morning between Oct 7th and 11th choosing the "Tracks of My Years". Each day included a short interview clip with Christine along with her track choice and why. During the last day Christine revealed that she's currently working on new material and hopefully a forthcoming solo album saying its a return to her musical sound of the 70's.